Avengers Survive Hell- I MEAN HIGH SCHOOL I said high school
by mightyglowpillow
Summary: Clint is the new kid at school with a mysterious past. Natasha, Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Thor are the big deal at school. When they come across Clint, what will they think of his suspicious past? Rated T because of mild language.
1. Interesting

Clint's POV

We had moved.

Again.

I have a new school.

Again.

My brother says it'll be different than last time. And all the other incidents.

He says that every time Dad gets into trouble with the cops. I've been putting on a fake mask when I tell him I believe him.

I've been wearing a mask a lot.

But it's not a problem; no one sees through it and that's the way I like it.

I never had friends in all my other schools. It makes it easier to come and go. I won't hurt anyone or myself. It works, really.

And I'm determined to do it again.

Today.

On my first day in soft-more year.

/WIBBLY WOBBLY TIMEY WHIMEY SKIPPY DEE DO WE\\\

I was the first in homeroom, unsurprisingly. I had my schedule worked out and everything else was caught up with.

The bell rings and I don't look up from my doodles on my paper.

Teens file in, laughing and talking with friends. I glance up at the teacher to see him rolling his eyes and I allow a small smile onto my face.

"Hey! Haven't seen you in this school before."

A teen puts his foot on the chair in front of my desk and leans on it. My eyes range up and down his form.

Perfect. A football jock to become my personal nightmare.

I turn back to my doodles. "I wouldn't think so. I'm the new guy."

A hand slams down on the desk. He gets in my face and gives me a predator like grin.

"Why so quiet, punk?"

"Leave him alone, Skull."

I look over to the interruption and my breath is knocked out of me. It takes all of my willpower to keep a straight face.

A tall blonde stands with four other just as beautiful people. There's a red haired girl, a mischievous looking brunette boy, a smaller dark haired boy with glasses, and a broad long haired blonde.

"And if I don't?" 'Skull' grips my collar and forces me to stand. My face remains expressionless.

"I'll make you," the blonde replies.

My captor chuckles darkly. And shoves me over to the group.

"Fine," the jock shrugs with a smirk on his face. "But that doesn't mean we're finished with him." He walked away with one last look towards me.

I had ended up landing in the broader blonde's arms. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks and I kept my eyes glued to the ground.

"Hey, you okay?"

I looked up to see the girl talking to me.

I looked down again and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked to the short haired blonde. "You didn't have to stop him, you know. Thanks for the help, but now you've just gotten yourself into trouble.

His eyebrows raised. "I didn't want you to get a bad start on your first day here."

I snorted and pulled myself out of the muscle man's grasp. Going back to my paper, I saw it was torn to four pieces.

I sighed and crumpled up the paper.

"What's so funny?"

"Hmm?" I turned to see the mischievous looking boy standing right behind me.

"You snorted when Steve had said he wanted you to have a good start. What's so funny?"

I figured it wouldn't matter if I told them about all of my bad encounters with kids at school, but something told me not to. And if there's something I've learned in my crap years of life, it's to trust that something.

A small smirk formed in my lips. "I've never had a good start anywhere, really. So, that wasn't too bad."

The five looked confused. Just as the boy with glasses opened his mouth, the teacher stood at the front of the class.

"Alright take your seats. Let's call role and begin the day, shall we?"

Natasha's POV

The new kid sat in the corner of the room and kept his head down. I watched him take out a pen and begin drawing on his own wrists.

I turned to the others. "Well?"

"He's cute. Can we keep him?" Tony glanced at the boy with that stupid smirk on his face.

Bruce flicked him against his skull. "HE is not a pet. But, he is very attractive. I'd feel better if he was with us."

Tony raised his fist next to Bruce's face. The latter rolled his eyes and pounded it.

I shook my head and looked to Steve. He was still staring at the new kid. I knew that look in his eyes all too well.

"You agree with them, don't you?"

His head snapped in my direction, his face flushed. "N-No. I don't think that. He.. I think he needs a group, that's all."

"Any particular group in mind?" I wiggled my eyebrows and gave an evil smile.

His face was nice shade of tomato by now. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Thor pulled a packet of pop-tarts and stuffed one in his mouth. "I like him. We should invite him to our group! He would be a wonderful ally. Not to mention his good looks."

I gave a little laugh at that.

"Alright, alright, settle down." Mr. Sitwell said. "Let's start role. Bruce?"

"Here," Bruce replied.

"Uh, Clint? Clint Barton?"

The new kid didn't even glance up. "Here."

"Are you new here?"

"Yes, sir."

Sitwell looked down at the roll call with his eyebrows knitted. "Huh, must not have gotten a note. Could you come up here?"

Clint slipped out of his chair and silently made his way to the front.

"Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?"

Clint shrugged. "Not really."

The class laughed. I allowed a smile on my face at Sitwell's expression.

"Why is that?"

"There's nothing interesting about me that you should know."

Sitwell bit his lip in thought. "Well, how about you tell us what you like to do in your free time."

The blonde teen shrugged again. "I like to shoot."

My ears perked up and I sat up straighter. Steve, too, was now much more interested in the conversation.

Sitwell nodded. "I do, too. What gun?"

Clint shook his head. "Not a gun."

Sitwell raised his eyebrows. "Then, what do you shoot?"

Clint smiled. "A bow."

Thor's POV

"A bow."

My eyes snapped up to the teen from my pop-tarts. A bow? As in archery? How interesting...


	2. New Friends?

Hey guys. Second chapter is now up and I hope you enjoy. There are more words and other.. stuff.. yeah. By the way, be aware of the shadows behind your back. Don't worry, it's probably nothing, just take my word for it. Give an occasional glance over your shoulder. That is all. Enjoy football and this chapter.

New Friends?

/Bruce's POV\

"A bow?" Sitwell had taken a look of complete confusion on his face.

Clint nodded, a smile still plastered on his face. "Yes, sir."

Sitwell blinked once. Twice. Three times, his expression unwavering. It took all of my willpower to hold in my laughter. I distracted myself by silently engaging with my friends on Clint's statement. Only, they were just as confused as Sitwell.

Natasha's eyebrows knitted together in thought as she gazed at the blonde standing at the front of the room. Her posture was a mix of relaxed and tense, as if she were a cat thinking of attacking it's prey.

Steve had a shocked expression with his eyebrows raised and eyes bright with confusion. His fingers lightly tapped on the desk, a sign that he had been sitting still for too long and/or that he was trying to figure things out.

Tony had a surprised look on his face, before morphing into one of mischief and thought. I internally sighed; knowing him, he's probably planning all sorts of crazy machines and other various ideas. None of which will turn out to be a good idea after all.

Thor had taken a look of uttermost interest in Clint. A small smile had formed on his lips and his eyes were lit up in what seemed to be excitement. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing... no one could ever be sure with Thor.

Meanwhile, my head was buzzing with questions. But one in particular stood out to me the most.

Why a bow?

A bow is silent and can be lethal if needed. Clint is particularly quiet and he seems like the guy who can defend himself and others when he wants to. But still, a bow?

"By now, Sitwell regained his posture and control of his face. "I don't want to intrude, but why a bow?"

Clint's smile dropped and he bit his lip. "Well, I guess with a bow you have more control over the target. If you're gonna hit it, that is. With a gun, you pull the trigger and it fires, just like that. But with a bow, you have to contemplate: are you going to let go of the string? What are you aiming to hit? Are you going to hit it?"

I smiled. emSo that's how his mind works.

The rest of the class were whispering to each other and the accessional snicker rang out among low voices. I glanced at Skull's group and nearly growled in anger and disgust. They looked at Clint like he was their next meal; Skull had a smirk formed on his lips and a thoughtful expression. His loyal band of greedy followers whispered to each other with the occasional sneaky glance at Clint. Skull looked over at us and I glared at him, a snarl on my face. Tony looked at me questionably, then saw Skull looking at us and narrowed his eyes. Skull merely grinned and turned back to his goons.

"Well... thank you for sharing that with us, Clint. And we welcome you to SHEILD High."

My eyes snapped back up to the front just in time to see Clint nod and return to his seat. On the way back, someone stuck their foot out just as he passed and I braced myself for impact. Clint tripped but caught himself on his hands, summersaulted forward, rolled into a stand, and continued walking as if nothing happened.

Everyone's eyes widened and a few jaws dropped. Including mine. The only time I had ever seen something like that happen was in movies or when Natasha was practicing martial arts.

Clint sat down and whipped out his pen, continuing drawing a design on his wrists. He didn't notice the stares he got. But if he did, he was doing an excellent job of hiding it.

/Clint's POV\

God, I hope I don't look embarrassed under their stares. I had subconsciously reacted on instinct and forgot where I was. Crap. What will they think of me now? Their gonna be asking questions and I'll be at loss.

Someone was walking in my direction; judging by the footsteps, the person was a female.

Dammit.

"Hey,"

Oh no, first question. Here it comes...

"Clint, right?"

Well, that wasn't too bad.

I looked up at the speaker. It was the pretty red-haired girl from before. I took this moment to observe. Green eyes, pale skin, a posture that says 'don't mess with me or there will be hell to pay.' So far, so good.

I looked back down, doing my best to conceal my blush. "Yeah, it's Clint."

She nodded, and she extended her hand out to me. "Natasha."

My eyes focused on her outstretched hand and I hesitated before taking it in my own. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." I could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "So..."

Question number two, on it's way.

"You wanna sit with us?"

I froze. What did she say?

My mouth reacted before I could. "W-What?"

"Do you wanna come sit with us? You look a little.. I don't know, alone?"

The hell was she getting at?

"I kind of like being alone. It's in my nature."

She sighed and flung her hands up above her head. "Okay, Mr. Nature Guy. I can understand that. But I'm helping you out here. You do emnot/em want to end up in a bad group of people."

I looked up at her and stared into her bright green eyes. "How do I know you're not a bad group of people. You might have gotten me out of one little mishap, but whose to say you're just trying to make yourself look good?"

div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Her eyes widened in shock. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no words came out of her mouth. "I... I-"

"We aren't those kinds of people."

My attention turned to a blonde speaking. The same one who had stuck up for me, like an idiot, to the other guy. Skull, was it?

The blonde, Steve if I remember correctly, stood next to Natasha and the bluest pair of eyes I'd ever seen bored into mine.

"We don't want attention or fame. We want to help people inside and outside of this school. Our group consists of people who aren't afraid to be who they are and do what they want to do. Something tells me you're that kind of person, and that you believe me."

...Was I that readable?

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "You've got a good voice, I'll give you that... Fine, I do believe you. And.."

My eyes looked up from the ground to their expectant faces. "I'll accept you're help."

Natasha gave a smile and Steve grinned. "Great. Gather your stuff and-"

The sound of the bell echoed through the halls.

I couldn't help but laugh as a shouldered my bag and stood.

Steve opened his mouth, no doubt to tell me this wasn't over. Knowing there was not way out of this, I spoke before him.

"I'll see you guys at lunch."

SO. Thoughts? Reviews? Fruit? Leave them down in the comments below! Until the next chapter..


	3. AN

Hey guys.

Sorry, not an update, but it will come.. eventually.

I wanted to thank you all for your reviews and that you are, in fact, reading this story. I didn't expect people to actually like it, much less know it exists.

So, yes. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reading this. If you want to leave ideas as to what should happen, that is what that little box you can type in is for. I'm all ears. Well, I am not made up of ears, I only have four as a normal person should have...

Anyways. I appreciate all of you and thank you again. Considering I cannot give you a gift, go get a cookie or something sweet. You deserve it.

Until the next chapter..


	4. Lunch Part One

**Hey guys. New chapter(yay) and I also have a new story. Though I will focus on this one more, given that you guys like it so much. But still, go check out my other story and I hope you'll like that one, too.**

 **Reply to Reviewer: Blackkitty5133, I think that is an excellent idea. But considering it's yours, and I do not want to be a copy cat(no pun** **intended),** **I will give it** a **bit of a twist. I already had in mind that Clint would listen to rock and other genres, but I'm glad you're on the right track.**

 **Reply to Reviewer(s): There will be** **pairings, but I'm not sure who to pair who with. I was thinking a little tension between them all and sorting out from there, but leave a review if you think something else would be better.**

 **Also, wow, great reviews. I freaked out when I saw how many you guys were leaving. It may not seem like much to some, but it is a LOT to me... too cheesy?**

 **And now, Chapter Three: Lunch..**

* * *

Steve's POV

 _"I'll see you at lunch."_

This was perfect. God, I feel so relieved.

He was going to sit with us at lunch and he'll join the group and it'll be fine. He'll be safe from Skull and everyone else.

This was perfect.

"Steve, could you tell us the answer to this equation?"

I blinked, suddenly brought back to reality. Ms. Hill was giving me a pointed look and she gestured to the problem on the board.

"Uh.." My mind was reeling; I was terrible at math. Why couldn't she have called on Thor?

"Well?"

"Um, 81?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Very good, Mr. Rogers. Now, what would happen if we added..."

Thor jotted something down and passed it to me when our teacher's back was turned. I uncrumpled the paper ball and smiled.

 _I thought it was 105._

I looked up. Ms. Hill was writing something on the board, so I quickly wrote a reply.

 _Don't worry about it. Tony'll help us tonight at 'Buddy Study' or whatever he calls it._

Crumpling it up back into a ball, I passed it back to Thor. He read it and raised his eyebrow in disbelief, writing down an answer. Ms. Hill was talking, so he waited for when she was distracted and tossed it back to me.

 _Hopefully._

That was true. Tony was always busy with projects he invented. Particularly an AI system fit to Tony's needs. Most likely Bruce or Nat would help us.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of my lunch period.

Wade Wilson, the class clown, got on his knees and raised his arms to the heavens. "Thank God! Food!"

With that, he gathered his stuff and ran out of the class, our laughter emptying into the hallway. Ms. Hill rolled her eyes and waved her hand as a dismissal. I picked up my books and ran out the door, Thor hot on my heels.

Clint better keep his promise.

Clint's POV

The dreaded hour had come.

Lunch.

I sighed as I stood in line for food. Why did I say I would sit with them at lunch? I'm doomed and it's all because of my big mouth. I'll never survive this place if I keep doing what I'm doing.

Someone cleared their throat, snapping me out of my musings. The lunch lady smiled and raised an eyebrow. I smiled in apology.

"Sorry. It's been a bit of a long day." What? No it hasn't. "Um, one grilled cheese sandwich, please."

She handed me my food just as a bunch of boys knocked over the giant tower of trays, scattering them across the floor. The lunch lady rolled her eyes.

"Welcome to SHIELD High."

I couldn't help but laugh and nod my head in thanks.

Walking out into the cafeteria, I immediately noticed a hand waving in the corner of my eye. Looking over, I saw Steve standing and waving, with a huge grin on his face. His friends noticed his sudden excitement and were confused... until they saw me. Then they smiled, and joined him on his mission to get me over there.

I felt my lips form into a smile, but then hesitated walking over there. What if they hated me? What if I embarrassed myself and they picked on me?

Wait, why am I asking myself these questions? I'm Clint Barton, dammit. The guy who never cares what people think of him and does what he wants. So, why do they have such an impact on my thoughts?

I must've revealed my discomfort and hesitation, because when I looked back up they were giving reassuring and encouraging smiles. I felt my heart swell a little, and took a step forward...

..only to be jerked back.

My tray of food went flying out of my hands. The collar of my shirt choked me as I was suddenly spun around, only to come face to face with that annoying jock from earlier.

 _Skull._

"Where do you think you're going?"

I realized my mask wasn't on my face, so the fear I had right now was exposed for everyone to see.

"Oh, don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you." Skull gave me a smirk that said otherwise.

I regained my bearings and glared at my attacker. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything to defend myself given the grip he had me in.

I almost lost hope of a rescue when I was ripped out of Skull's hold and found myself in new arms. And yet, they felt familiar. Looking up, I saw the broader blonde holding me to his chest. He looked down at me and he smiled.

"Here we are again."

"The hell do you think you're doing?"

My eyes darted to the speaker. Steve was in Skull's face with his hands balled up beside him and shaking with rage.

"Didn't I tell you to leave him alone?"

Skull raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I give a damn about what you say?"

Steve growled. "You better start caring."

The jock scoffed. "Or what?"

"Or you'll be dealing with us."

I blinked. Us?

I looked beside Thor. The rest of the group from this morning stood with angry expressions and violent poses. **(A/N: MCR, anyone?)**

Skull still had that stupid smirk on his face. Then his gaze slipped over to me and I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through me. Whoever was holding me seemed to feel it and hugged me closer. I felt a blush on my face and ducked my head to hide it.

Skull finally looked away and gave a laugh with no humor.

"Fine. I'll leave him alone... for now. Come on, boys."

His loyal army of skanks followed him out the lunchroom doors. I gave a sigh of relief and relaxed into the blonde's arms. Then I remembered what had happened and leapt out of his grasp. Looking down, I saw my grilled cheese had been stepped on; a footprint embedded into the bread and cheese.

"Well, there goes my lunch."

Tony's POV

"You can have some of mine, if you want."

He turned, and I did my best not get lost in his tricolored eyes.

"What?" He looked confused, as if he didn't understand what I just said.

"You can have some of my lunch," I said. "You shouldn't have to pay for another sandwich, and I'm not that hungry, so you can have my sandwich."

Clint's mouth opened and closed in shock. I was just as confused as him... hadn't anyone ever given him some of their lunch before?

Bruce took the opportunity to speak up. "Let's go sit at our table."

We all nodded, but I noticed Clint's hesitation. Natasha did, too.

"You okay?" she asked him.

He nodded a little too quickly and followed us to our seats.

"Are you injured, my friend?" Thor had a concerned look for our new friend.

Clint shrugged. "I think Skull bruised my neck a little. But, no, I'm fine."

Steve, however, did not think he was fine. The blonde took it upon himself to personally check Clint's throat. Clint jumped back from Steve's touch and a flash of fear came across his face before anger.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You said he bruised your neck, I wanted to make sure he didn't do any damage your vocal cords or windpipe."

"Well, you could've asked before invading my space."

Steve tried to calm Clint down. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"If I say I'm okay, then I'm okay. Got it?" Clint snapped at Steve.

Silence. Steve was shocked, then a hurt expression appeared on his face and Clint softened.

"I'm sorry," Clint rubbed the back of his neck and kept his eyes glued to the floor. "It's just.. I've only had a few people that really cared about me that much, and they always left me soon after that. I just don't wanna hurt anyone."

My heart? Oh, it's fine. It's just shattered into a million pieces. I'm good, I'm good.

Clint suddenly blushed a deep scarlet and fidgeted. "It's alright though, I'm used to it."

God, could he say anything else to rip apart my soul even more?

He smiled at us. "Well, are we gonna eat or what?"

Dammit, he could.

 **So.. yeah. New chapter, leave a review, there's no one outside your window, have a nice day.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	5. Lunch Part Two

**Hey guys. New chapter is up. Of course, you would know that because you are reading it now..**

 **So, hey! Things!**

 **I'm loving the reviews. The ideas left will be twisted a bit, but included. And encouragements are acknowledged and appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all reviews. And no hate comments.. yet. But still, I am very happy with all the comments and likes and follows and proof you know this exists.**

 **Excitement!**

 **New story: Avengers In Wonderland. Go read and enjoy. Well, hopefully. I shall update that one soon.**

 **And now Chapter 4: Lunch Part Two...**

* * *

Natasha's POV

It takes a lot to get on my good side and not much to get on my bad, but this guy is acing the "What can I do to get Natasha to love me?" test. And I knew it wasn't just me he was affecting.

Tony had the puppy eyes, Steve sat way too close than he needed to, Thor had a look of deep affection as he handed Clint one of his pop tarts, of which Clint gave a laugh and took the treat with no hesitation. And Bruce kept thoughtful gaze on our new companion.

All in all, he had us wrapped around his finger.

"So, considering this is the first time we've all actually spoken to you, I say we should all go around and say our name, age, likes and dislikes, and an interesting fact about ourselves."

Tony looked at us expectantly, awaiting a response.

Steve spoke for all of us. "I think that's a good idea."

Okay, not _all_ of us.

I sighed and shrugged. It wasn't like we had a choice anyways. "Sure, why not?"

Clint smiled. "What enthusiasm."

I laughed. I didn't even realize I had sounded extremely sarcastic saying that.

"Why, thank you. I do my best."

His smile broadened. "So, who's going first?"

Bruce sat up. "I guess I will."

"That's the spirit!" Tony gave him a clap on the back with a stupid smile.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Be quiet, Stark. Uh, I'm Bruce Banner. I am fifteen nearly sixteen. I enjoy chemistry and science, but I do not like angry people. Ironically, I might be the angriest person anyone's ever met."

I nodded in agreement; Bruce may not seem like an angry person, but he could blow his top at anytime.

Thor looked a little uncomfortable at Bruce's statement. "Um, I am Thor Odinson. I am seventeen years old, held back in eighth grade. I enjoy smashing things and residing in the company of my friends. I loathe schoolwork and anything involving education."

Steve smiled. "Well said, Thor. I'm Steve Rogers. I have just turned sixteen. I love America's history and have a personal enemy: math."

Clint raised his eyebrow. "Math isn't a personal enemy. It's _everyone's_ enemy."

Steve chuckled. "Fair enough."

Clint's cheeks went a bit pink. "Um.. I'm Clint Barton; fifteen nearly sixteen. I love archery and comic books, and I hate egotistical jackasses."

We all laughed at that.

He grinned like Cheshire Cat. "Excellent. You hate them, too. I also have an older brother."

Thor perked up at 'brother.' "What's his name?"

"Barney."

Tony snorted. "Barney? As in, giant, terrifying, purple dinosaur Barney?"

Clint laughed. "Trust me; I've poked fun at him about that. He can't stand being related to that thing."

"Fantastic. I'd be worried if you hadn't."

I leaned over and whacked Tony on the back of his head.

"Shut up, Tony, it's my turn."

"Ah, so she _was_ excited." Clint grinned evilly.

I glared at him and he only laughed. Well, it's a nice change from silence.

"Anyways, I'm Natasha Romanoff. I'm fifteen. I love martial arts and hate the color pink. Not many people know this, but I am Russian. Or, I was."

Clint's eyebrows raised. "Really? Huh, you're the second person I've known who's Russian. You two would've been great friends."

Thank God. He didn't try to kill me.

"And finally, me; Tony Stark, at your service. I am sixteen; I love science and robotics and math and nerdy stuff. I hate people treating me like a kid. One of my latest projects I'm working on is a suit of armor that can fly and shoot lasers."

Clint tilted his head to the right, in the cutest way possible. "Like a superhero?"

Tony nodded. "Yep, just like a superhero."

Clint smiled. "Awesome."

 **DONT MIND ME. I'm just a line break passing through. Nothing to worry about...**

Thor's POV

"So, where's your locker?"

Clint bit his lip. "Upper.. E hall? No, H. I think."

"Helpful, that's what you are my friend." Tony gave the most sarcastic look he could muster. Clint merely stuck his tongue out in response.

I could not help but laugh at the blonde's reaction. He was very amusing, but nothing like Tony. Clint was funny without Tony's malice; he did not make fun of anyone and could see people as they were before even talking to him. It was an incredible gift.

Natasha gave a sigh of exasperation. "Why must boys, no matter what age, act like irresponsible five year olds?"

Tony took an unreadable expression. "Natasha, dear friend. We do not act like five year olds on accident.."

He suddenly stopped walking to stand next to a window. The genius stared out into the blue sky, dramatically. "For it is embedded into our souls."

Natasha promptly punched him in the stomach. Tony shrieked and bent over, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Okay.. maybe it's just a common trait."

"That's better." Natasha smiled innocently.

"Back to the question at hand," Steve was doing his best not to laugh. "Where _is_ your locker, Clint?"

"H hall." Clint paused. "I think."

Steve sighed as I laughed.

Clint took pity on Steve and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I'll show you after school, okay?"

This time Steve did laugh, and Bruce joined in after a while.

Clint gave a sheepish look. "Yeah; I've been told it can be frustrating to have a conversation with me."

Tony nodded. "Ditto."

The bell rang and I felt my heart sink. I hated when lunch was over. I loved talking with my friends and I didn't have any classes with them afterwards. Those had to be the longest two hours of the day.

"What classes do guys have?" Clint's voice interrupted my flashbacks of the cold, lonely classrooms. A good thing he did that, too, or else I would've slipped into what Tony refers to as the 'existential crisis.'

"Latin and then Home Economics."

"Same."

I looked up. He was smiling at me and I grinned back. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yep. Though, I do have to leave early during Home Ec. Some club wants to speak with me today.. Art club?"

At this, Steve perked up. "I'm in the art club. Are you gonna join?"

Clint shrugged. "I might. Are comic book sketches and spray paint works allowed as projects?"

"Anything you can get your hands dirty with is acceptable." Steve's face gave a sudden flush of red. "That sounded wrong."

Clint chuckled. "I think I'll join."

The taller blonde grinned. "Great."

"Hey, guys?" Bruce spoke up from his usual silence. "How far away are our next classes?"

The color and happy expressions disappeared off our faces.

"Shit."

"Tony!" Steve looked appalled as he quickly located the nearest clock.

"Steve, now is not the time to lecture me about 'foul language.' Hill is going to have my head on the wall for being late to her class." Tony was fumbling with his locker combination.

"Well, it's been a nice chat with y'all, but I have to run across the entire school to do push ups for fun."

With that, Natasha left us standing there by Tony's locker. Bruce checked his watch and smiled.

"It seems the odds are in my favor, for English is right around the corner."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good for you, Brucie. Steve, punch my locker it's jammed."

Clint shook his head at the madness surrounding him. He turned to me with a sarcastic smirk on his face.

"So, how will two guys like us ever get to our Latin classroom?"

I laughed and put my arm around his shoulders, steering him in the opposite direction we had walked to. The sound of Tony's cruses at his locker grew fainter and fainter as the classroom came into sight.

"This is our stop."

Clint's eyes swept around the room and nodded. "Seems to be."

"Ah, you are Clint Barton?" Mr. Strucker approached us.

"Yes, sir."

The teacher nodded. "SHEILD High's new student. Welcome to Latin I. Your seat will be next to Mr. Odinson's over there."

Clint nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Mr. Strucker nodded and we quickly slipped into our seats.

"Sweet; best seat in the house." Clint nodded in approval.

I looked at him quizzically. "Best seat?"

He nodded. "The back corner. From here, I can get a view of the entire room from just looking up. And, at the perfect distance so the teacher can't see me doodle on my paper during class."

I held in my snickers as best I could. "Fair enough."

The rest of the day went by as a blur. Latin was confusing as always, yet Clint actually understood what our teacher was saying and helped me when we had to translate certain passages. Home Economics was much more fun than it used to be. We had to bake a cake today and Clint had an excited look as we mixed the batter.

"I love baking. It seems like a girly thing, but it's good when you've got friends coming over and stuff."

He was impossibly adorable throughout the class and, I had to admit, it felt nice when he leaned over and gave me instructions for how much to mix the icing. And when he got frustrated or confused, his bottom lip jutted out a little and his eyebrows knitted together to form an adorable pout. It was incredibly hard not to coo and hug the smaller teen.

All in all, I was sure I would never be lonely or bored during my last two classes for the rest of the year. In fact, they would probably become my favorite classes of the day.

How on earth had this boy managed to make this feat happen I will never know. But at least it did happen.

 **Soo.. yes. New chapter, so sorry it took longer than expected, and I am almost positive there is no monster possessing my pencil sharpener.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	6. Another AN

**Hey guys, another note.**

 **So, if you've read my bio then you understand that I do not enjoy hate comments. But really, who would? So, why would anyone leave any?**

 **To a guest whom left a review, I do not know if it will become a slash, it may just be a minor pairing between two men but I don't know. I was thinking Bucky could make an appearance and there would be a lot of tension there.**

 **But there is a possibility that anyone could end up with Clint. May it be a boy or girl, I don't know, but most likely it will be a boy. If you are upset with it, okay, just don't read it. That goes for anyone else, too.**

 **I do not mean to be aggressive, I merely cannot _stand_ hate comments. To me it's just a giant billboard sign reading, 'YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.'**

 **Which, I'm not. I will take ideas and give them a spin, so not to copy, willingly. But I will not take an idea from someone who clearly isn't enjoying the content of _MY_ story. If you want to change my ideas, write your own story and don't tell me what to do with mine.**

 **Thank you for reading this and hopefully understanding my reasons; I'm normally not like this and, with luck, won't have to be like this again.**

 **Thank you for reading my story and I _do_ hope you enjoy it.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	7. Study Buddies

**Hey guys.**

 **New chapter! Yay!**

 ** _So_ sorry it took so long; there hast been a ****_LOT_** **going on and I've made this chapter a little longer as an apology.**

 **By** **the way, has anyone seen a large, radioactive bird flying around? It's not that important, but if you have, please let me know _immediately._**

 **And now, Chapter Five: Study Buddies...**

* * *

Steve' POV

I sighed for the millionth time. Tony was a great friend, and I don't know what I would do without him, but _God._ He could be so _frustrating_ sometimes.

Looking to Natasha, I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. "Could you-"

"He won't answer. I've already tried. Several times."

A groan escaped my mouth. I dialed Tony's number again.

 _Please pick up. Pick up pick up pick-_

"Hey."

It took a lot of willpower not to smash my phone on the concrete. "Um, hi? I've called you, like, twenty times!"

"Actually, you only called me sixteen times. A new record?"

"For the shortest time it took you to pick up your phone? Yes."

I could practically hear his pout. "Why were you calling me anyways?"

"Study Buddy's at your house, right?"

"Yep."

"Great. Hey, Clint's taggin' along."

I heard something crash, followed by a pained moan.

"Um, Tony?"

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?"

I ripped my phone away from my ear. Since when did he get an actual pair of lungs?

I would've scolded him for nearly bursting my eardrums, but he had already hung up the phone. Typical Stark.

"What was that?"

Looking back at Clint, a sympathetic look formed on my face. His hands were rubbing his ears and a pained expression was on his face. He saw me looking and gave me a look of confusion and annoyance. I nearly laughed; his face was priceless.

"That, my dear friend, was the sound of a panicked Tony Stark." Natasha turned around and began walking backwards. "Though I must say, I've never heard him that panicked before. Wonder what spooked him."

I gave a shrug and slipped my phone into my back pocket. Natasha chuckled at Clint, who was still rubbing his ears.

"Sensitive ears?"

"Yeah." Clint removed his hands from ears and grimaced. "My brother says I've got the ears of a hawk. But, I think my eyes are more hawk-like."

Nat tilts her head. "How come?"

He grins. "I never miss my target."

The red headed girl raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "I always hit the bullseye, no matter where my target is."

"Well, you don't seem very modest about that." Natasha smirks.

Clint laughs. "It's true, though. Here; let me show you."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rubber band. "Tell me what to shoot."

Natasha grins. "Hmm.. let's see. Shoot the mailbox and make the rubber band hang on the flag."

The blonde nods and aims his rubber band. He released it, sending it flying to the mailbox. The rubber band brushes the top of the box and gets caught on the red flag.

I raise my eyebrows in shock. Clint wasn't lying when he could hit his target.

Nat gave a whistle. "That was some good shootin,' partner."

Clint gave a sarcastic bow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, hold your applause."

I laughed as Natasha shoved him off the sidewalk.

~WIbblY~WObblY~tIMEY~WhIMEY~SkIP~

Bruce POV

"That's it! I. GIVE. UP. You win this round! It can't be done... but where did I go wrong? How did I screw up? I never screw up. This must be God laughing at me. He wants to watch my mind burn. He thinks he has all that power. Well, let's just see that power in action, shall we? Come on, old man. SMITE ME, OH MIGHTY SMITER!"

"Tony; what has worked you up so much that you have reduced to quoting Jim Carry?" Bruce raised a curious yet annoyed eyebrow.

Tony didn't even look up from his desk. "This stupid- oh. Oh. _Oh_. I see where I went wrong. Never mind guys. It's good, it's good, it's _goode._ "

"Shut up, Stark." Natasha gave a glare to the genius. "I'm trying to focus, here."

Said genius replied with an immature sticking-out-of-the-tongue and making a scrunched up two-year-old-mocking-face.

Bruce rolled his eyes and turned back to Thor and Steve. "So, in this problem, what is the y-intercept?"

Steve blinked. "Um.. 5?"

"Right.

Clint banged his head against the table. "Ow."

"I would think." Steve cocked an eyebrow. "You alright there?"

Clint gives a motion that I assume is a shake of the head. "No."

"How come?"

Clint raises his head so his chin rests on the table. His bottom lip juts out and his eyebrows knit together. _So cute._

"World History sucks, man." Clint's head moves giving me a vision of Pac-Man. "Why is the French and Indian War called the French and Indian War if it was France against England?"

"An axcellent question that no one has an answer to." Natasha smiled behind her textbook.

Clint groaned and banged his head against the table, again. "Ow."

"Stop that," I laughed and reached over to ruffle his hair. "You'll give yourself a concussion."

He only chuckled and leaned into my hand. Sighing, he closed his eyes. A blush formed on my face as he nuzzled my palm. Pulling my hand away, Clint groaned in protest.

"Not time to sleep just yet." I sat back down in my chair. "You've still got work to do."

"But-"

The buzz of a phone rang out, interrupting Clint.

I glanced around confused; who's phone was that?

My question was answered when Clint's hand slipped under the table and pulled the vibrating device out. He took one glance at the screen and paled. His eyes went wide in fear and his hand started shaking.

Thor was the first to speak. "Clint, my friend, are you ill?"

"Clint?" Steve began to put his hand on the other's shoulder. "Hey, you o-"

"I have to go."

Clint shot up and grabbed his textbook and bag. He shoved the book in and quickly zipped it up, making a beeline for the door.

Tony jumped up and blocked the doorway.

"Woah. Dude; you alright?"

Clint's eyes were flickering between Tony, us, and the hallway behind Tony. Then a careless smile slipped onto his face.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He shifted foot to foot. "My brother just wants me home."

He tried to push by Tony, but the brunette didn't budge.

"You sure?" A rare, concerned gaze came upon the genius's face. "You looked pretty scared."

Clint shook his head. "No, no. I'm alright. I've just gotta get home. Thanks for having me over, though. Will I see you guys tomorrow?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, we will."

The shorter blonde gave us a curt nod and swiftly ducked around Tony and speed walked down the hall.

I stood and exited the room, the others right behind me. Clint kept up a fast pace and pulled out his phone again. His eyes filled with fear that definatly shouldn't have been there. He started walking even faster, if possible, and barely stopped to open up the front door.

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, he was gone.

Natasha rushed to the door and stopped it just before it closed. She opened it again and walked out. We quickly followed, trying to see where Clint had gone or if a car waited outside. But there was no one there; only the sound of frantic shoes hitting the pavement.

~WibbLY~WObbLY~tiMEY~WhiMEY~SkiP~

Clint's POV

Shit.

I should've paid more attention to the time or my phone or just not gone to Tony's at all. But no. I had to go and screw myself.

And what's worse, they all probably thought I was a freak. Running away during a fun night; who does that?

I mentally signed. Oh, well. At least it won't hurt so much when I leave. But still. Fear and worry stabbed my heart, and not just because of my asshole of a father. It was because I didn't want them to leave. I didn't want to leave. For the first time ever, I visibly let my guard down, and they didn't do anything.

For once, I felt.. _Safe._

My phoned buzzed again and I sped up, knowing I was almost home.

A tall, run down building came to view, and I unconsciously dug my key from my pocket.

There was no elevator and the lobby was separate from the apartment complex. My feet pounded up the stairs to the top floor. The key was in the lock before I had stopped running. Turning the knob, I slipped in, closed the door, and leant against it. I sighed in partial relief, partial exhaustion. A hand covered my mouth.

My eyes shot open. When had I closed them?

"Do you wanna wake up the whole building?"

The rapid beating of my heart calmed. Barney was giving me a pointed look. His dark blue eyes were shadowed underneath his dark bangs. He removed the hand on my mouth.

"I thought you were-"

"Dad. Yeah, sorry, bout that. Had to shut you up."

I smiled and poked his ribs. He pushed me away with a an indignant 'hey.'

I felt my face harden. "Where is he?"

My brother pointed to the room behind him.

"He came home and crashed on the couch. Didn't say anything about.. Well, _anything._ "

"So, we're good?"

He nodded. "For tonight. Judging by how fast he conked out, I'd say he'll sleep till eleven thirty."

A small smile formed on my face. "Good."

Barney grinned and put an arm around my shoulders, steering me to our shared bedroom.

"Bedtime, bro."

*30 minutes later*

There was one bed in the room. A desk pressed between the wall and the bed. All that was at the back of the room. In the front, by the door, was a huge nest of blankets and pillows. A closet was by the desk and a door to the bathroom was on the other side.

I snuggled into the nest and pulled a blanket or three over my shoulders.

"Night, Barney."

He smiled in the glow of the pitiful lamp residing on the desk.

"Night, kid."

There was a click, then darkness.

My eyes drifted shut and I snuggled deeper into the warmth of pillows. Within seconds, sleep consumed me.

* * *

 **So.. Yay. I'm so so so so so SOOO sorry about the late update. I was going to them high school stuff happened and I worked on it but never finished it and UUGGHH. Here it is.**

 **I plan to update on Saturdays to answer a guest's question. Not this Saturday, of course, but in the future.**

 **Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your patience and I will try my best to update more often.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	8. I Still Exist?

**Hey guys.**

 **New chapter! Updates! Yay!** **Woah!**

 **WOOP WOOP! I'm living off the reviews left. You're all such nice people. Unlike** ** _Steve Carlsberg. Ugh._** **What an** ** _asshole._**

 **And now Chapter 6: I Still Exist?...**

* * *

Natasha POV

Ah, school.

I hate it.

I find no happiness in the dungeons of Hell. Also, pretty sure even Lucifer himself can't stand the torture. And he's the master of pain.

Still, I suppose there is _some_ good in those halls. My companions, for example. If it weren't for them, I'd have already torched the place and commit fifteen homicides. Not to mention the nuclear explosions.

So, it's a good thing to keep me with friends and not have us separated- except from classes, then we _have_ to be apart. But, it's a bad thing if you keep us apart for too long. The faculty is now aware of this. Either that, or they're too scared to tell us to quiet down.

I walk into home room and regret even _considering_ to get out of bed that morning.

Tony had managed, how I will never know, to set fire to his coffee mug. It's certainly not the worst thing he's ever set on fire, just... One of the more _confusing_ objects that has caught fire.

By this time in the school year, everyone has come to endure the fact that Tony will set at least one thing on fire during school. Daily.

Bruce had an incredulous look on his face as he helped put the fire out. Thor was too busy reading out of his textbook to notice the chaos, and Steve was eating an apple and thumbing through a journal. He occasionally glanced up and shook his head.

I sighed and sat down next to Steve. Looking around the room, I noticed Clint wasn't here. I frowned; he seemed like the kind of guy who showed up to class on time. Or before class even started.

Our class quieted as Mr. Sitwell stood from his chair.

"If we can cease the chatter for a moment, then we can begin roll cal-"

The door swung open and in the doorframe, panting as if he'd ran a mile, was a tired looking Clint Barton.

"Sorry, sir," Clint breathed. "Late start this morning. Won't happen again."

Sitwell nodded. "That's alright, Clint. Have a seat."

Clint nodded, still breathing rather hard. "Thank you, sir."

He headed to the back, but not towards us. I felt my eyebrows knit together in confusion and worry. I saw his eyes flicker towards us, widen, then snap right back to the floor. He slipped into a seat across the room from us. Those tricolored eyes were glued to the wrist he was writing on with a pen.

I stood and walked to his side. I could feel Steve stand and follow me over. When we were practically breathing down his neck, he still didn't look up.

"Hi?"

"Nat," Steve nudged me. "Don't be rude."

I waved a hand in his face. "What are you doing over here?"

Clint swallowed nervously. He then mumbled something I couldn't quite understand.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

The blonde bit his lip. "I thought... you would've thought I was a freak after I had left so abruptly last night."

My mind froze mid-thought. Steve spoke before I could fully process what Clint had said.

"Wh.. What?"

Clint glanced up to meet our eyes. "After I had left, I figured you would think I was a freak. Did it not seem a little weird to you?"

"Of course is was a little weird, but people have their reasons," I said. "There's no way that we could ever think you were a freak for things like that. Why would you think you were a freak?"

He flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry-"

"And there's no need to be sorry for it either," Steve gave a smile and raised an incredulous eyebrow. "It's not your fault. I take it other kids used to pick on you and call you a freak."

Clint nodded. "Yeah; whenever I had to leave because of my d-reasons, everyone would laugh at my suddenness. Calling me a freak, picking on me, little stuff like that."

Steve sat in the chair in front of Clint. "Doesn't sound like it's little. It seems like it's a lot."

The latter shook his head. "It is a little thing, but I let it get to me. I shouldn't let it bother me."

I put my hand under his chin and forced him to look at me. "There are things we can and can't ignore. And if it does bother you, it matters. So don't you dare try and push those things away like that. We're here for you, Clint. I hope you understand that."

Clint was speechless. His mouth opened and closed but no words were heard.

Finally, he pulled away from my touch and blinked i confusion. "You-you really mean that?"

"Of course," Steve said. "We care about each other. So if you have any reason you feel uncomfortable or worried or anything, you come talk to us, okay?"

Clint was still blinking to clear his head, but managed to give a nod. "Okay; I will."

My hand made it's merry way to his shoulder before my brain could protest. "Good. Now, will you come sit with your new friends?"

He smiled and my heart sped up. "Yeah, why not?"

Tony's POV

They walked back over to us after their conversation had finished. Clint was smiling, thankfully, and he seemed much more relaxed than when he first walked in. They sat in the remaining seats; Bruce and Thor began talking with Clint, whom sat in between them.

"Are you well, Clinton?" Thor asked. "You seemed very tense, earlier."

Said per on bit his lip and glanced to Nat and Steve across the table. The two smiled and Clint returned a grateful grin.

He looked up at Thor with mirth in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just woke up a little late this morning."

"You sure?" I narrowed my eyes.

He nodded.

"Alright, but what's that bruise doing on your collarbone?"

The reaction was immediate and short-lasting. Clint's face was drained of color and his eyes went impossibly wide. His shoulders hunched up in fear. And then, as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Replaced with a look of confusion.

"Bruise?" Oh, that's clever. "What bruise?"

But not _too_ clever.

Bruce leaned over and pulled Clint's shirt collar down. The blonde squeaked in protest and promptly fell out of his chair.

"Clint!" Steve all but leaped over the table.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Clint said. "I'm just not used to the whole touchy-touchy stuff. In case you haven't noticed that, yet."

Steve helped Clint to his feet. Bruce looked very guilty and opened his mouth, probably to apologize, but Clint beat him to the punch.

"It's not your fault. I'm fine, just.. not used to the touches of other people." Clint froze and shuddered. "Sorry; that sounded _so_ wrong."

Bruce chuckled and had a look of relief in his eyes.

"Banner, Bruce?"

Sitwell's voice rang out among the chatter.

"Here."

"Barton, Clint?"

"Here."

"Herring, Kate?"

"Here."

Roll call went on for the rest of class and we continued to talk. Clint explained that a book had fallen on him last night. He was trying to reach for said book, but it slipped out of his grasp and fallen onto his collarbone. It was a reasonable story, but there was something about it that jet didn't add up.

We left homeroom and went to our lockers. I followed Natasha to her locker, considering it was in the same hall as my first class.

"Hey, Nat?"

"Don't call me that."

"Right, forgot. Don't kill me, please. Anyways, did something seem-"

"-Off about Clint's story? Good, you noticed it, too."

I nodded. Natasha never missed anything fishy or off-key. "So, what do we do?"

The bell rang. Typical.

Natasha closed her locker. "We'll talk during class, okay?"

"But, we don't have any classes togeth- right, phones."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you at lunch."

* * *

 **SO. YEAH.**

 **New chapter, the Welcome to Night Vale book is almost out, and... that's about it. I think.**

 **Anywho; I apologize for the late update (again). I had to go out of town for the weekend and wasn't able to publish. Then when I got home, wouldn't let me publish in general. But I sorted it out and we are back in business.**

 **25 reviews. Wow. Wow. Wow. Oh geez. Um, THANK YOU ALL for your support and encouragement. It is _most_ appreciated. I say it again, THANK. YOU. SO. MUCH. **

**Until next chapter..**


	9. A Mystery

**Hey guys.**

 **New chapter... Yeah.**

 **And HEY, it's _actually_ on Saturday! WOOH! **

**Sorry.. I felt that was an accomplishment**

 **And now Chapter 7: A Mystery..**

* * *

Steve's POV

I worried about Clint all through the first half of school.

I couldn't help it, those bruises looked pretty bad. I don't think even a large book could cause that.

It also concerned me that Nat and Tony looked very suspicious of Clint's excuse. And I trust their judgement. The day Nat misses something important is the day I understand math. Plus, Tony always had a knack of telling if someone was lying or not. They were the best at reading people, so I knew I could trust them.

"Steve!"

I jumped, nearly dropping the vial I held in my hand. Bruce gently took the glass filled with baking soda and set it down.

"What happened?"

"You zoned out." Bruce wrote something in his notebook. "The baking soda was spilling out so I called your name but you didn't hear me."

"Oh.. Sorry, Bruce." I rubbed my neck; I could tell my face was burning red with embarrassment.

He gave me a smile. "It's alright. No harm done." He picked the baking soda back up and poured some of it into the mixing bowl. "You were thinking abut Clint, weren't you?"

My face only got redder and an awkward expression came up. He laughed and waved his hand.

"No, no; that's not what I meant. I mean you didn't exactly believe his story, did you?"

I shook my head. "No, there was just something... I don't know, _off_ about it."

The brunette nodded. "I agree. But, I think we all noticed something about it. He's hiding something, and I want to know what it is."

"Yet none of us want him to close up again." I frowned. "Clint's obviously been through some stuff he doesn't want to talk about; I don't want to force him or anything."

Bruce pulled eggs out of the mini fridge below the table. "Yeah. I don't think Nat, Tony, or Thor want to either. But he needs to know he can talk to us. He needs to know he can _trust_ us, I should say."

I agreed. Bruce was always the logical one; normally, he had the details worked out and was able to come to a conclusion pretty quickly. It's how he gets by most obstacles.

Sighing, I picked up the mixer. "How can we get him to trust us?"

Bruce cracked an egg and we watched as the yolk spilled out into the bowl. "I don't know, Steve. He's a mystery that's gonna take all of us to solve. Until then, we'll just have to keep an eye on him."

I was only _slightly_ annoyed by that.

 _ **~WibblY~WObblY~tiMEY~WhiMEY~SkiPY~dOO~WEE~dOO~**_

"Hey, guys!" Tony grinned.

I waved. "Hey." I glanced behind him and back. "How come we're sitting at the window?"

His grin turned into a smile accompanied by a small blush. "Turns out Clint really likes window seats. So, I figured why not this table for today? See how we like it."

I smiled and sat across from him. "Sounds alright with me."

Tony grinned again and looked behind me. "Hey, Thor!"

The table shifted, signaling the blonde had sat down. "Greetings, Anthony, Steven, and Bruce! How art thou?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you just come from English?"

He nodded. "Yes, I did! We went over Shakespeare today. Loki was very pleased. Well, as pleased as Loki can be... He doesn't tell me much."

Bruce shrugged and picked up his sandwich. "Brothers are brothers, I guess."

"What do you know about brothers?" Natasha sat next to him. "Not that I know much more than you. You guys are my only siblings."

Tony fake sniffled and wiped his finger under his eye as if wiping away a tear. "You really mean that, Natasha?"

She gave him an unamused look. "Unfortunately, yes."

He rolled his eyes then smiled, waving his arms. "Clint!"

I turned and smiled, too, until I saw the state of Clint. He was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. The purple jacket he wore was pressed tightly around him with his shoulders shaking. When he sat down, a cough escaped his lips and the blonde shivered even more. My leather jacket was off me before I could think. I wrapped it around his shoulders and put my arm around his shoulders. Clint flinched at the contact but relaxed soon after.

"T-Thanks," the faintest of smiles appeared, but it was enough to speed up my heart.

"You, my friend, are sick," Tony stated. Bruce stood and sat in the empty seat on the other side of Clint. The brunette pressed his hand against Clint's forehead and the latter whimpered in protest as Bruce pulled his hand away. My heart ached at the sound Clint sported and Bruce frowned.

"Definitely sick," he said. "You're burning up, Clint. How did you feel this morning?"

The other shrugged. "A-A little off. Didn't th-think it w-was this bad."

Bruce nodded. "Did you eat anything for breakfast?"

Clint shook his head. "Had a s-stomachache."

Bruce nodded, again. "Alright. Clint? We're gonna have to take you to the nurse's office; they might have to send you home."

Clint's eyes widened and he pulled away from me and stood the jacket slipping from his shoulders onto the ground.

"N-No, m-my dad isn't home. A-And my brother i-is at school. D-Don't m-make me go home a-alone. P-Please? I don't w-want to be alone."

By now, tears had formed and were spilling over Clint's cheeks. I could feel my heart rip apart at my friend's fear.

"Okay, okay," Natasha stood and took cautious steps to her friend. "You don't have to go home, just come with us to the nurse's office and we'll take care of you there, m-kay?"

Clint nodded. "Y-You won't leave m-me?"

Natasha shook her head, a look of reassurance plastered onto her features. "No; no, we won't leave you. Why would we?"

She closed the gap between them and hugged the blonde. He instantly stiffened, then melted into the embrace and hugged the redhead back.

He sniffed as he pulled away and wiped his eyes. The hug seemed to have calmed him down, but he was still shivering like mad. I picked up the fallen jacket and dusted it off, wrapping it around his shoulders. He smiled apologeticly and willingly accepted the arm I offered him.

"S-So, the nurse's office?" He sneezed, which was absolutely adorable. The younger blonde sneezed like a kitten.

Thor chuckled. "Yes; and maybe we could all come over to my house after school. I'm sure my parents would love to fuss over you."

Clint frowned. "Wouldn't I b-be a bother t-to your parents?"

Thor shook his head. "To my parents, there is no such thing as a 'bother.' Come over, we'll take care of you."

Clint looked a bit skeptical. "Okay.. If you c-call them first and, they s-say yes, I'll come over."

Thor smiled. "Excellent. I'll contact them now. You go ahead to the infirmary."

 ** _~WibblY~WObblY~tiMEY~WhiMEY~SkiPPY~dOO~WEE~dOO~_**

Bruce's POV

"How bad is it, doctor?"

Tony gave an unmanly shriek as Natasha elbowed him in the gut. I rolled my eyes at our friends' antics: constant bickering.

"If you please?" The nurse raised a warning eyebrow. "He's dehydrated and with a high fever. I would recommend antibiotics and a watchful eye. And keep a glass of water with him."

Steve nodded. "How high is his fever?"

"101.7 degrees Fahrenheit," she said. "Cool washcloths can be useful when he breaks his fever."

"Thank you," I said.

The nurse stood from Clint's side and gave a nod. "I'll go fill out a form so you can bring him home."

She left, and we were left alone.

Natasha sat on the cot next to an asleep Clint and gently ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Said blonde sighed contently in his sleep and curled around the redhead. She blushed but didn't remove her hand from his head.

Steve and Tony were obviously a little jealous of Nat, but why should I judge? I was just as envious.

"Hello, I bring-"

"Shh!" Tony hissed out. He pointed to Clint and Thor nodded.

"Apologies," Thor whispered, which was normal talking compared to us. "My parents have allowed Clinton to come over to our house. My father will be by later to pick us all up in his car."

"Good," Tony said. Then he looked suspicious of Thor. "Wait.. does that mean-"

"Tony!" Steve gave the brunette a look. "Don't be rude."

Thor waved a hand. "No, no. Tony is fine. But to answer your question, yes; he will be riding with us."

I knew who the dreaded-by-Tony 'he' was, but I didn't have a problem with the quiet boy.

The intercom signaled an announcement, then Mr. Coulson's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Loki Odinson, please come to the front office for check-out."

* * *

 **Hey guys.**

 **I was wondering when to put Loki in here, so this worked out pretty well.**

 **Like it? Hate it? Hungry? Go get some food and leave a review!**

 **Until next chapter..**


	10. Meeting the Family

**Hey guys.**

 **ITS HALLO-FREAKIN-WEEN!¡ GET YO SCARE ON!1!**

 ***clears throat* Sorry about that.. Just got a little excited.**

 **Anyways, REVIEWS!? I'm loving them and thanking EACH AND EVERY ONE of you as I read them! You have no idea how encouraging they are and how much they mean to me. I also checked how many views this story has gotten.**

 **3,281.**

 **THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING MY STORY! YOUR VEIWING EYES MAKE MY HEART SWELL.**

 **.. Too weird?**

 **And now Chapter 8: Meeting the Family..**

* * *

Clint's POV

All I remember is falling asleep on a cold rock- sorry, _cot_. Yet, here I am in the world's classiest guest bedroom.

The walls were a rich creamy yellow. I know that sounds awful, but it was just the right shade, so it looked good. An enormous window was placed on the wall to my left with glass doors leading out to a balcony. And a huge wooden wardrobe sat on the right wall, a door that I'm guessing led to the bathroom.

The bed I lay on was a cloud. I really didn't feel like getting out of it, but I knew I had to find out just how I got to such a place.

As I stood, I noticed a chair next to my bed with a band shirt and loose sweatpants that looked to be about my size. Thor didn't seem like the guy to wear this stuff, plus he exceeded my size of clothing, so whose was this?

Mentally adding that to my list of questions, I changed into the clothes. The band was Falling In Reverse, one of my favorites. Whoever had this shirt was on my good side.

I tiptoed to the large, double oak doors and gingerly opened the door.

My first thoughts: shit.

There were two halls. One going straight, the other going left. The one straight ahead ended maybe fifteen yards away. The hall down my left kept going for God knows how long. At least ten doors lined the longer hallway, some were double and some weren't.

But the greatest part was that I had no idea where the hell to go.

For some reason, I was more annoyed than concerned of my surroundings. It nagged me that I didn't know where I was when I had just woken up in a strangely nice room with strangely fitting clothing in a strangely big house.

Just plain.. _weird._

As I glanced down both halls again, I opted the one going left would lead to a staircase of some sort.

I hope.

Going down the long passage, many pictures came into view. But they weren't pictures, really. More like scarily accurate paintings.

The biggest painting I saw consisted of four people, standing side by side as a family. A man with shoulder length blonde hair and an eyepatch wore a golden suit (suspiciously fitting his royal-like expression well), standing tall with a woman smiling politely down at me. Her hair was more of a dirty blonde styled in braids and her blue eyes were kind and endearing. Silver and blue fabrics draped over her shoulders and down her form. Her hand rested on a small boy's shoulder. His hair was black, very different from the previous people, and wore a black dress shirt with black dress pants, a silver and gold tie around his neck. His smile was small but you could tell it reached his eyes. And the last figure was blonde and broad tall and-

.. Thor.

Thor was wearing a silver suit much like the older man's whom stood behind said blonde. His dress shirt was blue and he wore no tie. He stood with pride and a shinning smile and I couldn't help but grin back at the picture. Thor was handsome, to say the least.

I blushed at the thought. Thor _was_ quite attractive- no. No. _No._

I'm not allowed to think like that. I couldn't ever be allowed to like someone.. They'd never like me back.

Sighing, I moved on from the portrait. A moment later a wide hall appeared to my left. Peeking around the corner, I saw it was a staircase leading down, splitting and curving around a fountain. A _fountain_.

A woman stood before the fountain but shortly turned and she looked up at me. I only caught a glance of her blue eyes before I gave a small squeak and ducked behind the wall again.

She laughed; her giggles sounded like silver.

"Come out, child. No need to hide."

Cautiously, I poked my head out. The woman was smiling at me and she took a step forward.

"Come here, I will not harm you."

I almost took a step back, but she sounded so sincere and honest, I had to come out behind my protective wall. Quietly stepping out from my safety barrier, I padded over to her. Her arm extended and she put her hand on my shoulder. She looked at me with concern in her eyes.

"Why are you scared?"

My eyebrows raised in shock. "M-Ma'm?"

She smiled. "Why are you scared, child?"

I wasn't sure if I liked that name or not, or if I should lie to her rather than tell her. This woman seemed pretty happy with her life, so I guess I should just lie.

I took a breath. "I-I don't really know where I am.. Or how I got here."

"Your friends brought you," she informed me. "My husband brought all of you home. Come; I'll take you to them."

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled, again. "Please, darling. Address me as 'Frigga."

 ** _~WibblY~WObblY~tiMEY~WhiMEY~SkiPPY~dOO~WEE~dOO~_**

Natasha's POV

Everyone was nervous and it was driving me insane.

I mean, sure. I'll admit I was just as nervous, but the fidgeting was getting on my ever-loving nerves.

Steve was up in front of the main window, pacing his heart out. Tony kept standing and sitting down again with his right knee shaking the moment he sat. Bruce's fingers were drumming against his chair. Thor was choosing were to sit or stand; he moved around the room, his mind wouldn't allow him to be still for too long.

Me? I was curled into a ball on the couch. My fingers tapping their own beat on my knees.

Bruce sighed. "How long has it been?"

Steve checked his watch. "Since you asked before? Two minutes."

Tony groaned and sat, yet again.

"Why can't we see him, again?"

Thor shrugged. "My mother said-"

"Your mother said what?"

Simultaneously, our head whipped to the new voice. Frigga stood in the doorway, an amused smile on her lips. And standing next to her, looking much more like himself, was-

"Clint."

The blonde flushed red. "Hey, guys. How's it going?"

I jumped up and ran over. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I said the most familiar word anyone ever heard me say.

"Idiot,"

He chuckled and hugged me back and damn it if it didn't feel good. "What'd I do?"

"You scared us, you asshole," I pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Don't pull anything like that again, you hear me?"

Clint smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

He was suddenly blocked from view by a very concerned Steve Rogers. Steve gave Clint a bear hug that almost crushed the smaller boy's lungs. I barley heard the muffled 'hi' that came from Clint.

"Don't scare us, please," Steve said. He reluctantly pulled away.

"Well, since you asked nicely," Clint smirked.

I lightly slapped his bicep, a laugh bubbling from me.

We each said our hellos and our if-you-scare-us-again-we'll-kill-yous. At the end we piled onto a huge couch and watched 'Finding Nemo,' because why not?

Frigga occasionally came in bringing food or checking up on Clint. Said boy was reduced to sitting on Tony's lap, blushing every time Tony readjusted his arms around him.

Just when everyone was finally calming down, and Nemo had been welcomed into the fish tank, a buzz rang out. Clint sat up, pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. I'm surprised he didn't faint judging how pale he got. He jumped up and turned to Thor.

"Where's my bag?" Clint's phone buzzed again and he began shaking as he looked the screen. "I need to get home. I'm sorry; thanks for having me stay, but I _really_ need to get going."

Thor stood. "Your bag is by the door, but Clint-"

"Thanks, Thor," Clint flashed a smile and ran out of the room.

In response, we lept up and followed him. As we turned the corner, we were met with Clint fumbling with his bag and someone else standing with a glass of water in his hands.

"Brother?" Loki tilted his head in confusion. "What's going on? Who is this?"

"Loki," Thor gestured to Clint. "This is a new friend of mine: Clint. Clint, this is my brother, Loki."

Clint looked from Loki to Thor. "Really?"

Thor nodded. "He's adopted."

Clint shook his head. "No, I mean-" He looked at Loki in surprise. "You-You were adopted by them?"

Loki nodded. "Yeah, I was. I take it your dad got you back?"

Clint nodded. "Yep." Clint's phone buzzed and he froze. "Speak of the devil. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Clint was gone before we could say anything. Tony turned onto Loki.

"Okay; how the _hell_ do you know Clint? And what do you mean his father got him back?"

Loki was confused, then thoughtful, then emotionless. "If Clint hasn't told you yet, I can't be the one to explain."

With that lovely thought, Loki turned away and went up the stairs.

Tony looked to Thor. "See, _this_ is why I get frustrated with your brother."

"He has a point, Tony," Steve said. "If we want to know what happened with Clint and Loki, we need to have Clint tell us himself."

* * *

 **WOAH! Gotta admit, it felt good to leave this on a cliffhanger.**

 **Anyways, ITS ALL HALLOWS EVE! THE DEAD HAVE AWOKEN! Put on your costumes and pelt them with candy!**

 **Also, leave a review on your way out.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	11. Yet Another AN

**Hey guys.**

 **Sorry not an update, but I've got some news.**

 **I'm applying to a school that requires a lot of stuff and I'll be** ** _extremely_** **busy.**

 **I feel really bad for doing this, but I'm abandoning the story-KIDDING. I'M KIDDING. HA; I just gave myself a heart attack.**

 **No, but really, I'm just going on hiatus until the end of December. I'll be back online in 2016. Promise.**

 **Until then, I might upload some one-shots for different fandoms In fact, because of the hiatus, I want you guys to give me one-shots to write and I'll see what I can do for you. :)**

 **Until next chapter..**


	12. Of Ice Cream and Deep Conversations

**Hey guys.**

 ** _GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN?_**

 **YEP. ME.**

 **If you guessed otherwise, you are incorrect and will be obliterated in.. I honestly don't know. Um, maybe a few weeks? So, whatever it is you want you better get it now.**

 ** _Or else.._**

 **I am so so sorry to those who asked for a one-shot. I was even more busy than anticipated but I promise I will write them.**

 **Anywho, let's read that new chapter, yeah? Yeah.**

 **And now Chapter Nine: Of Ice Cream and Deep Conversations..**

* * *

Tony's POV

"Ice cream? _Really?_ "

I turned to Natasha. "What? Is there something wrong with rich, creamy, frozen deserts?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. There's nothing wrong with that.. It just seems a little, I don't know, childish."

I shrugged. "Sometimes it's okay to be a child."

She opened her mouth to object, but closed it, smiling instead. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Great. Now, let's go! The guys'll be waiting."

The redhead rolls her eyes and hopped on her bike. We ride over to the park where our group said we would meet up. It was one o'clock, and we had said to meet up around one fifteen. Knowing the others, they would be early and we would end up being the only ones getting there when we actually said we would. It's how we all function.

The park was only a few streets down from Natasha's house where the two of us had met up. And, sure enough, our friends sat on benches with ice cream cones or cups in their hands. Steve and Thor were talking about something that seemed to be very serious judging by their facial expressions. Bruce was nodding along with them which sparked my curiosity; Thor and Bruce almost never agreed on ideas or opinions or... Well, _anything_.

This must be big.

Natasha and I parked our bikes on a nearby rack and locked them to the metal pole. We sauntered over to the stand selling the delicious treats, pulling out our wallets in the process. Little kids surrounded the man handing out cones and cups full of the ice cream of the children's choice. When we were finally first in line, Nat ordered the Mint Oreo while I went for the Moose Tracks. We then payed for them and turned to sit with our friends.

Steve looked up and gave a small smile. "Hey, guys. How's it going?"

Nat shrugged and I gave an eye roll. "Fine, I guess. Is Clint coming?"

The tree behind the three of them suddenly rustled and something flopped down, hanging from the tree.

"I'm already here."

That he was. Clint was grinning like a madman and I couldn't help but smile back. The blonde laughed and I did my best to contain my fluttering heart.

Steve, however, looked concerned. "How long were you up in that tree?"

"Since I came here," was the reply. "Which was at ten this morning. But I had my earbuds in the whole time, so when you three got here I decided to wait in order to surprise you guys."

Steve's shoulders relaxed in what I assume is relief.

 _Where they talking about him?_ I couldn't help but think.

Bruce tilted his head in curiosity. "Did you already get some ice cream?"

Clint's smile faltered for a second. "Uh... No, actually."

The blonde swung himself back up to the branch he was hanging on and proceeded to let his legs dangle from the tree. He let go of the bark and landed gracefully on the grass. Clint turned to us with a sheepish look on his face.

"Neither my dad nor brother would give me any money; not that I actually asked. I just knew they wouldn't."

"I could buy you one," I offered.

Clint's head shot up, his hands waving in dismissal. "No, no; it's okay. You wouldn't want to waste your money on me."

I rolled my eyes. "Try me."

I motioned him to follow me and he did so begrudgingly. He ordered a small Rocky Road which I immediately changed to a large.

"I already told you: don't waste your money on me."

I shook my head. "It's not wasting if I provide you with something."

Handing him his cup, he takes it with an annoyed look and a small/really cute blush on his face. The two of us headed back to our group, sitting in between Steve and Thor. Natasha takes a bite of her ice cream and waves her spoon around.

"So, what were you listening to?"

Clint looked up and tilted his head in an adorably curious sense. "What do mean?"

"I mean," Nat takes another bite. "What kind of music were you listening to in the tree? You said you had your earbuds in, so what kind of music do you like?"

"Oh," he said. The blonde knit his eyebrows. "Well... I really like this one genre, but you guys probably haven't heard of it. And you'll most likely hate it-"

"It doesn't matter if we like it or not, Clint," Steve said. "We just want to know what kind of tunes you like. That's all."

Clint looked skeptical. "I still don't know."

"Alright," Bruce had an understanding look on his face. "How about we all ask each other questions and not just you. Would that be better?"

Clint looked at Bruce with a certain relief that sparked a bit of envy in me. "If that's okay, yeah. I'd like that."

Steve nodded and smiled at the blonde next to him. "Okay, then. Ask me a question."

An innocent grin appeared. "What's your favorite color?"

I couldn't help it; I laughed and fell on the ground. Natasha rolled her eyes and Thor chuckled, amused by our friend's antics. Bruce gave a laugh at Steve, who had a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Uh, well..." Steve blinked once. Twice. Three times. "I'm not entirely sure. Red, blue, and white are my top three right now. And yes, my family and I are very patriotic."

Clint nodded. "Cool. We almost never celebrate anything, but one time my brother and I managed to get a couple of fireworks and shoot them off for the Fourth of July." He smiled. "His pants caught fire when he dropped a sparkler that hadn't gone out yet."

Natasha and I laughed at how casual he sounded.

Steve shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips. "You make it sound so natural."

Clint shrugged. "Part of my charm, I guess."

I huffed. "Yeah, sure. As if you had any."

Clint looked incredibly affronted by that. His eyebrows knit together and his mouth was agape.

"Excuse mua?" With each syllable, he snapped his fingers in a Z like motion. "Watch what you say, peasant. I will castrate you without a second thought."

I gulped and felt my eyes widen in fear. Natasha was laughing her ass off and Steve was just as scared as me.

"Um," Bruce had a dazed expression on face. "You don't really mean that do you?"

Clint ate a spoonful of his ice cream. "I do, actually."

"Wonderful," I muttered. "I've always wanted to have my-"

"Tony!" Steve flushed a deep red.

"You're just too innocent, Stevie-kins." I stick out my tongue and internally smirk at the blonde's eye roll.

Thor took a huge bite of his ice cream, coating his lips with a blue substance. I can only assume he had chosen blueberry or birthday cake.

He smiled at my facial expression of disgust. "Who shall ask the next question?"

Bruce raised his spoon. "You just did. But I think Tony should have the second question."

Thor pouted in a hilariously childlike manner. I leaned my head back in thought.

"Hmm... Hey, Nat?"

The red haired girl looked up. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

I winced. "Sorry. But my question for you is... Do you.. _like_... someone?"

Natasha immediately flushed red. Clint grinned.

"Ooh. Someone's blushing."

"Can it, Barton," she snapped, a faint smile on her face. Wait a minute..

Does... Does she like Clint? No. No way. Clint is a snarkier, athletic version of me. She couldn't possibly like him... could she?

"Alright, my turn," Natasha grinned and looked around the group. "Now, who shall be the next victim?"

Simultaneously, we gulped in fear. Natasha closed her eyes in thought, circling her finger around in the air.

 _1.._

 _2.._

 _3.._

 _4.._

 _5.._

 _6-_

"Clint!"

"Dammit."

A chorus of laughter rang out as Clint flushed in embarrassment.

Natasha's expression became serious. "Clint, who keeps calling you?"

Silence. The blond teen sighed and curled into a ball, his legs crossed and arms folded. A look of fear came into his eyes before he buried his face into his arms. After a few brief seconds, his shoulders started shaking. Bruce stood and sat next to Clint, putting his arm around his friend. Clint instantly began to sob, and the sound broke my heart. Steve slipped his jacket off and placed it on Clint's back.

We sat there for a while, silently comforting our friend in pain, before he finally looked p at us. His beautiful eyes were tinted red, and shinning streaks ran down his face. He sniffled, wiping his eyes and nose, before taking a shuddering breath.

"My dad," he said. "I-It was my dad."

"Why are you always so scared to answer?" Thor asked, a sorrowful look on his face.

Clint swallowed and ducked his head back into his arms. He mumbled something that none of us caught on to.

"What'd you say?" Bruce asked.

Clint's head snapped up. His eyes filled with rage and pain.

"Because he beats me."

He bolted, feet slamming onto the pavement as he took off, leaving his ice cream behind to melt.

* * *

 **I DID IT.**

 **I DID IT.**

 **YES.**

 **Again, I deeply apologize for not updating sooner. The school had a lot more work for me to do than expected and I was off track for a while afterwards. It'll take me a while to return to my normal updates (on Saturdays), but school is almost out and I'll be back to normal before you know it.**

 **Thanks for reading, and don't forget your complimentary sock on the way out. Not socks. Sock.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	13. Oh Look, Another AN

**Hello.**

 **So, I have had a few requests to make this story a "non slash" story, and I am having trouble deciding what to do.. I was thinking that I could post an alternate ending after I had posted the ending that I had planned. My only problem is I would like to make it a single chapter that would be twice maybe three times as long as a normal chapter.**

 **So, my question is, would everyone be okay if I were to post this alternate chapter? I will not reveal change the plot, just the relationships.**

 **Thanks for reading. Even more thanks for reviewing/considering. But no thanks to any baked spiders you might offer me.**

 **Until next chapter..**


	14. When Will the ANs End?

**Hello dear readers,**

 **I'd like to apologize for a serious lack of update. My computer is editing strange noises that, frankly, hint towards an explosion. I hope to have it foxed within the next three weeks, so I will not be writing during that time.**

 **I hope one you all understand and will not pressure me for another chapter. It is going to happen.**

 **Again, I'm very very sorry this is not an update.**

 **Until the next chapter..**


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